News Releases

EPA recognizes Carnegie Mellon as a Top Buyer of Green Power

PHILADELPHIA (October 25, 2011) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh is on EPA's list of the top 50 largest green power purchasers. Carnegie Mellon’s green power purchase of more than 120 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) is equivalent to avoiding the yearly carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of over 16,000 passenger vehicles or from more than 10,000 average American homes' electricity use. The purchase also qualified the university this year for EPA’s Green Power Leadership Club by far-exceeding the organization’s minimum purchase requirement.

By purchasing renewable energy certificates from national wind sources, Carnegie Mellon University is meeting all its electricity needs with green power. Green power is generated from renewable resources including solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, and low-impact hydropower.

“Carnegie Mellon is making its environmental commitment clear by switching from traditional sources of electricity generation to cleaner, renewable energy alternatives,” said EPA’s mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “I applaud Carnegie Mellon for making a substantial commitment to sustainability and clean air, and hope many more universities will follow their lead."

EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with more than 1,300 partner organizations that are voluntarily purchasing green power to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional electricity use. Purchases of green power also help accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and produce no net increase to greenhouse gas emissions.